Cricket 1888

NOV. 29, 1888. CRICKET: A WEEKLY KECORD OF THE GAME. 455 at some time or other. In the out-field the hillocks and the veiy long grass prevented the ball travelling much. If you hit along the ground, you had to hit very hard and run very fast even to get a two. In fact, as one of our opponents said to me, “ a hundred is a very good score: if we get a hundred we feel sure that we are going to win.” Besides the Hague, we played at Wijk-aan- Zee in 1887, and at Haarlem and Amsterdam in 1898. We had great hopes of W ijk-aan-Zee, because we heard that Baron Tuyll, the patron of the Haarlem Club, intended to devote the ground permanently to cricket and had prom­ ised to relay it. As it was, he had engaged an English professional, who had prepared the best wicket which we played on in Holland. Of course it was slow, but then that seemed natural in a ground below the sea-level. But the Baron has given up his position as Voor- zitter , and this year the Haarlem Club played on a field at Schooten, just outside Haarlem, of which the most noticeable features were two ditches, which were the boundaries on each side, and a third depression, about nine inches deep with no water, but a very slimy soggy grass bottom running parallel with the wicket about three yards off. That ditch required watching, for when once the ball went into it, there it stayed, no matter how hard it was hit. At Amsterdam the R.U.N. Club is more for­ tunate, for they have obtained from the town the use of a piece of ground near the Rijks Museum, which might with a little care be turned into a very fair ground. The chief dis­ advantage is its size. Behind the bowler at one end there is a high boarding about 20 yards off: to score four by putting the ball over it was an easy achievement for any one accus­ tomed to hitting in the air. There are some tennis courts also, which are a good deal in the way of long-leg, and altogether the bound­ aries are quaint and complicated. The wicket, however, played pretty true, and the ground was level, though the grass was exceedingly long and thick. “ And how do they play?” Well, their bowling is decidedly good, and their fieldiug is enormously improved since 1887, and was at times wonderfully smart. They seemed to have far more confidence and be much more certain of pickiug up on the rough grounds than our team were; we saw several brilliant catches made. The Hague Club has a good wicket-keep, and a coverpoint who is as good as one would expect to see in ordinary cricket in England. There are several bowlers who are difficult, one fastish left-hand with a fair use of either break, being the best; but all the bowlers are too fond of long hops, and I never met one who appeared to me to bowl much with his head. But where the bowling and fielding loses most is from want of experience in the captain. At Haarlem, for instance, I saw two bowlers kept ham­ mering on unchanged while 60 runs were put on, and 60 on those wickets is equivalent to more than 100 in England; neither could bowl w ell on account of the graves they had dug in the soft ground. But a change of bowler or a change o f end was apparently not thought of. Then, again, they have a very bad habit, when the bowling is being hit in front of the wicket, of moving back mid-off to about half-way between his own position and that of a man out, and bringing forward cover-point to try and do mid-off’s work as well as his own. The result of this Bhort-sighted arrangement is that there is a run for everything on the off-side that does not go straight to the one man there, while the exiled m id-ofTis too close in for catches and as for saving two, why the long grass will do that. They have little or no idea of chang­ ing the fielding to suit a particular bowler or to inconvenience a particular bat. An English­ man who understood the game would be of immense value as a captain. Their batting is below the standard of their bowling and fielding. As a rule, they have very little style and absolutely no idea how to play lobs. Those played them most success­ fully who hit them fearlessly in the air and put their confidence in our outfield—some­ times they were caught, and sometimes they were n o t: but only two Dutchmen who stayed at home and tried to play the wily balls ever succeeded in doing anything of any con­ sequence. As a rule, too, they were devoid of all power of off-driving or cutting, particularly the latter. A long hop on the off was certain to escape unharmed. At leg-hitting they are good, and some of their on-driving was clean and hard. It is on the leg side that most of their runs were made. As far as bowling to them went, about the most useful kind of ball was a short length one on the off stump. The ground would very often make it do something eccentric and unexpected, and it was a tall which was very seldom hit anywhere. No Dutchman ever drives a long hop hard back; as a rule, however, they played fast bowling muoh better than slow ; what they are badly in need of is teaching. There are several players capable of being turned into free powerful bats, if they could get instruction from an English professional. It is ignorance and not incapacity that prevents their further improvement. But the batting has shared in tho general progress which a year brought with it; cer­ tainly the scores made against us were not so large, but then we had much better bowling to oppose to them. Still, one could see that there was more idea of correct cricket than there had been. The highest total reached against us was in the first match of our first tour, when the Hague Club made 92 in their second innings, one batman scoring 48 not out. The Hague also obtained the lowest total this year, scoring 23 in the first innings and losing 6 wickets for. 16 in the second. Our lowest total was 59, made at Haarlenij hut the “ Rood en W it ” could only reply with 24. In the second innings we got 210 for 8 wickets, this being the third time we obtained two centuries. We won our matches each year, being only once put to it. This was a match against the combined Hague Clubs. They scored 59 and we lost six wickets for 84; I shudder now when I think of the usual value o our tail for runs, but on this occasion they came nobly to the rescue and we obtained a victory by 22 runs. No Englishman has yet scored a century in Hol­ land, though onehas been obtained by a Dutch­ man in a game. As I said, ours is not the only or even the first cricket team that has visited Hollaed. This year Lord Sheffield took over a powerful combination, including several Sussex County players and three professionals, a team against which the Hague Club did wonderfully well in scoring sixty. If I am notmistaken, a Kentish team went over last year, and this year’s Oxford, captain has also left a notable repu­ tation among the Dutch. The last team which I have to mention are a London team whose proceedings are not calculated to inspire re­ spect for English cricketers. To level your wicket with your bat in a fit of temper because you have been bowled even within three of a century would not be considered good form in England; nor is it sportsmanlike, however great a contempt you may have in your lordly British mind for the ignorant Dutchman who is learning to play your national game, to decline to bowl and merely stand, back to the wicket, and chuck the ball backwards over your head. But times have changed and the mighty have fallen, for this year this London team had to put up with defeat from the Hague team by 20 runs, and achieved the great and memorable distinction of being the first English team to lose a match in Holland. Great was theDutch joy. I don’t profess to understand Dutch, but the following extracts from the “ Nederlandsche Sport” seem to indicate exultation:— “ Bravo den Haag ’. Well played! zal er zeker wel in alle cricketkringen geklonken hebben, na de schoone overwinning der H .C .C . . . Grootwasde opgewondenheid, en het applause, dat beide batsmen ont vingen te meer daar de match nu gewonnen was. . . . Zelden heb ik zulk een enthousiasme gezien op een cricket-veld; niet alleen van cricketers, maar ookvan ambachtslieden, soldaten enz, die daarbij tegen woordig waren.” We all heartily congratulated the Hague C. C., for they have struggled on under considerable diffi­ culties, always with the best of pluck and re­ fusing to admit inferiority by playing more than the recognised eleven. To propose to play against twenty-two Dutchmen would be regarded as little less than an insult. Extracts from t h Nederlandsche^ Sport” show how oddly the Dutch have assimilated English cricket phraseology into their own language, thus ‘ *C. Nolet maakte er 14 in faultness (sic) style.” “ F. Lelyveld en Suermondt topscorers waren. ” “ Nu volgde een batting performance, zooals maar zelden hier in Holland gezien wordt. Terwijl Nolet heel kalm blockt, sloeg v Haeften er lustig.op los. ” This too is a pleasant description of a shooter, “ een zeer leelijkenbal.” Apart from the visits of English teams, the chief interest of the cricketers centres in the annual com­ petition for a champion cup. The Hague C.C. held it till 1887, when Haarlem won it. Who has been the victor this year I have not yet heard. But besides the excitement over their own matches, many of the Dutchmen follow English county cricket with closest attention, and will discussthe relative merits of Surrey and Notts with impartial intelligence. In fact, cricket appears to have taken a very firm hold on the Dutch mind, and before long, with improved wickets and the Dutch welcome, a week in Holland is likely to become quite an ordinary English cricket tour. COLVESTON CLUB. Matches played 29— won 11, lost 10,drawn 7. BATTING AVERAGES. Times Most in Inns.not out. Runs, an Inns H. E. Gadsdon... 12 ... 1 ... 249 ... 66 ... H. Clemetson ... 2i ... 1 ... 394 ... 72 ... S. B a ll................ 17 ... 3 ... 212 ... 46 ... W. P. Russell ... 29 ... 1 ... 381 ... 50 ... E. Finch .......... 25 ... 4 ... 230 ... 40*... H. W. Pritchett.. 23 ... 3 ... 200 ... 33 ... R. Kelsey .......... 9 ... 3 ... 59 ... 40*... W. B. Trick ... 7 ... 1 . . 56 ... 27 ... F. Clemetson ... 27 ... 1 ... 218 ... 44*... F. W. Wiltshire 5 ... 0 ... 39 ... 12 ... W. W. Hayworth 17 ... 0 ... 125 ... 25 ... C. H. Finch................ 7 ... 1...41...13... T. J. Aveling ... 11 ... 2 ... 54 ... 30*... J. Dowell .......... 12 ... 0 ... 62 ... 22 ... A. Swinstead ... 2 ... 0 ... 9 ... 9 ... E. O. Pope..........14 ... 0 ... 46 ... 15 ... ,tiel. Aver. 227 17.8 152 1317 1".20 10 . 9.5 9.2 8.10 74 7.6 65 6. 5.2 4.1 34 SOUTH SAXONS CLUB. Matches played 37—won 13, lost 12, drawn 12 BATTING AVERAGES. The following played in 10 innings and over. Times Most in Inns, not out. Runs, an Inns. Aver. A. M. Sutthery 2L ... 1 ... 1252 ... 2 6 ... 62.12 H. Pigg ......... 24 ... 4 ... 813 ... 159 ...40.13 F.W . 8. Hosley 12 ... 1 ... 201... 56 ...18.3 C. J. Smith ...19 ... 1 ... 311... 81 ...17.5 F. G. Chichester 31 ... 5 ... 351 ... 37 ... 13.13 F. C. Timins ... 12 ... 0 ... 164 ... 45 ... 18.8 W. Leigh-Smith 34 ... 4 ... 383 ... 43 ... 12.23 W.H. S. Stanton 12 ... 1 ... 189 ... 36 ... 12 7 W. Beasley ... 12 ... 2 ... 124 ... 23 ... 12.4 F.deB. Hancock 10 ... 3 ... 84 ... 24 ... 12. J. B. Wood ...11 ... 0 ... 114... 35 ... 1U4 J. C. Wray ...11 ... 2 ... 93... 19 ...10 3 T. B. Sturland... 2a ... 2 ... 199... 38 ... 9.19 A. C. Coles.......... 30 ... 1 ... 239 ... 26 ... 8.7 Lowles (pro.) ... 18 ... 2 ... 102 ... 29 ... 6.6 R. D. Newman... 12 ... 3 ... 36 ... 10* ... 4. The following played in less than 10 innings. A. A. Trevor ... 4 ... 0 ... 19) ... 132 ...47.2 L. H. Neame ... 6 ... 1 ... 132 ... 81 ... 26.2 H. H. Minton ... 5 ... 1 ... 87 ... 74* ... 21.3 G R. Papillon 9 ... 1 ... 16J ... 54* ... 20. F. G. Tuck ... 7 ... 2 ... 87 ... 25 ... 17.2 W . Carless ... 9 ... 1 ... 113 ... 32 ... 14.1 H. S. Foster ... 9 ... 0 ... 118 ... 32 ... 13.1 P. R. Papillon... 4 ... 0 ... 43 ... 27 ... 10.3 S. W ilson.......... 4 ... 0 ... 32 ... 14 ... 8. Rev. E. Nicholls 5 ... 1 ... 29... 19 ... 7.1 Cecil Smith ... 8 ... 0 ... 50 ... 17 ... 6 2 W. H ouse.......... 7 ... 1 ... 30... 15 ... 5. N. A. Mercer ... 5 ... 0 ... 25 ... 15 ... 5. C. H. Byrde ... 7 ... 1 ... 25 ... 11 ... 4.1 A. E. Young ... 5 ... 0 ... 18... 7 ... 3 3 Umoin Simson 7 ... 2 ... 17 ... 7* ... 3.2 8. P. Bucknill... 5 . . 0 ... 16 ... 13 ... 3.1 Rev. Wilkinson 4 ... 0 ... 12... 5 .. 3. A. M. S. Greame 4 ... 1 ... 7 ... 4 ... 2.1 Capt Moore ... 4 ... 0 ... 8 ... 6 ... 2. BOWLING AVERAGES. Wickets were taken as follows:—H. Pigg 75, A. M. Sutthery 67. T. B. Sturland 62, W. Leigh Smith 36, F. W. S. Hosley 20, A. C. Coles 16, Wripht (pro.) 16, A. Edlman 11, R. H. Seddon 8, w. Beasley 7,Umoin Simson 7,J.B.Wood 7, F.G.Tuck6. NEXT ISSUE, DECEMBER 27,